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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · object · pitcher · wind · cap · rule · mate · fall

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a friend
  6. snap — to click
  7. rule — a law
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rule — government
  18. fall — the season
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com